College Confidential’s “Dean,” Sally Rubenstone, put together 25 of her best tips. Get your free copy of the "25 Tips from the Dean" eBook and get helpful advice on how to choose a college, get in, and pay for it: http://goo.gl/9zDJTM

I started a "company" last year. Beneficial for admission?

Last summer I had an idea of starting a marketing company that helped iPhone developers get their applications noticed. The cost of starting it was extremely low and I had moderate success. Since I couldn't handle school and running a business, I put the project aside. This was a solo project and the company I helped had great success with their application. What could I tell colleges about this?

If you're incorporated (or have filed to be a different business entity) this could make for a great focus on your app. What's your revenue/profits? How many customers? Do you have employees?

If you answered no to all of these questions, it seems like this is more of a hobby than a business. Definitely mention it on your app but it won't get you in.

It may hurt you (more than it helps you) if you talk about how you didn't have enough time to run with it. You don't want to present yourself as someone who couldn't handle multitasking or was too busy with school work to pursue other passions.

Don't make it the focus of your app or assume that it is good/unique enough to automatically get you into any school--but definitely include it! It's a relatively unique and interesting thing (though as cc123sb says, don't call attention to the fact that you chose to discontinue it!)
I recommend listing it, and then writing about it in the 'expand on one of your activities' question, as it is quite interesting (unless of course you have some other passion that you've been doing forever and want to write about). I wouldn't write your common app essay about it unless you really can't think of a better topic, in which case it could make an interesting essay. I just don't recommend it being your #1 choice because it is only something you did for a summer and doesn't really reflect as much of your personality than just being an impressive thing you did.

Helpful Links

About College Confidential

Welcome to the leading college-bound community on the Web!

Here you'll find hundreds of pages of articles about choosing a college, getting into the college you want, how to pay for it, and much more. You'll also find the Web's busiest discussion community related to college admissions, and our CampusVibe section!About Us